US To Keep Missiles and Jets in Jordan, Just in Case

The Irish Independent reports the United States said on Saturday it will keep Patriot missiles and F-16 jet fighters in Jordan after joint military exercises end next week while Secretary of State John Kerry said a political solution to the civil war in neighboring Syria may be getting "out of reach."

The decision to put Patriot batteries - an air and missile defense system - in Jordan, adds The Irish Independent, has been particularly controversial for Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main global ally.

The Irish Independent notes Russia is worried the missiles could be used by the United States and its allies to impose a "no-fly" zone over Syria in the first direct Western military intervention in the conflict.